


Survival

by Embarassedbutkinky



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Cavemen, Dogs, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Language Barrier, Neanderthals, POV Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Prehistoric, dawn of civilization, vboreversebang2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:01:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Embarassedbutkinky/pseuds/Embarassedbutkinky
Summary: Vegeta is a neanderthal, driven to an impossible task to try and help his family. He stumbles across Bulma, a human woman living not far from his people. If he wants her help, they will first have to work through a language barrier that neither knows exists at first. How can he show her he is not just an animal? And will she like who she finally finds underneath it all? A piece for the #vboreversebang2020.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 74
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my piece for the Vegebulocracy reversebang 2020, inspired by this drawing by @JackieMoonshin1 on twitter. Thank you to my beta readers @blackswans2222 and Anyes on the Vegebulocracy server!  
> I am a big fan of The Clan of The Cavebear, by Jean M Auel, and hope this does some justice to her style of writing about the merging of neanderthals and humans at the dawn of civilization. This story is already completed, and I will post a chapter a day until it is all up.
> 
> Thanks everyone!
> 
> EBK
> 
> https://twitter.com/JackieMoonshin1?s=20  
> https://twitter.com/Blackswans2222?s=20

The Heart Of The Cave, flames and smoke and heat, burned steadily as it had for many years.

Three of the lower tier warriors sat around it at all times, their only job to stoke the life-giving heat with wood brought in from gatherers. The clan was smaller than it had once been, smaller than it had ever been really, but this job was forever needed. Six small hearths were elsewhere, protected by others, so that if the big one ever died they could rekindle it. Still, it was carefully cultivated, soot scooped away with long curved tools. No one alive now had ever seen it cold.

Vegeta was no low class warrior. He'd been a champion hunter in his prime, now a few years past. He sat by The Heart today merely to watch it, lost deeply in thought. At his side sat his troop. They were usually with him, or he followed them. Out of all of the warriors of their tribe, they had been bonded together in combat. 

The four were legendary in their time, bringing down huge game, even  _ mammoths _ , and contributing their part to the family. They'd not been expected to hunt now for a full season. They were old, finally old enough to be done working. The younger men would hunt and gather for them as tribute, reward for their years of service. Then, long after they were dead, those young men would be allowed to rest as the next generation worked, and so on.

Vegeta didn't  _ feel _ done. The tradition was clear, after your life fit on two hands your reflexes would slow, and death would come soon. They didn't know their ages, but they knew age itself. He'd passed the mark only one season before, and now he could not be trusted to fight. Slower reflexes meant putting the whole hunting party in danger.

A hand pushed his shoulder, and he looked up. Kakarot, born only a winter after him, was the youngest of their troop. He wasn't quite old enough to be retired when their troop became revered, but he was allowed to take the spoils with them. Kakarot got Vegeta's attention, then the attention of their other two comrades. He bumped the back of his hand against his own lips. It was a question.

_ Should we eat? _

Vegeta snorted, shaking his head. He'd thought Kakarot's appetite was massive before, but it'd become downright gluttonous since retirement. 

Kakarot bumped his lips again, and this time Raditz copied him. Raditz was a bit older than Vegeta, born of the same woman as Kakarot. He had a perpetual smirk on his face that Vegeta found irritating, but he had to admit the warrior's skills in battle had more than made up for his shortcomings. Raditz turned his look to Nappa, touching his shoulder.

Nappa, the oldest of the four, bumped his mouth to his hand, and now Vegeta was outvoted. He wasn't really hungry, but he followed after the group as they headed deeper into the cave to where the women worked. The women who stayed behind in the cave were mostly very young or very old, with only a few of working age left behind. Most of them left the cave daily with the warriors, gathering where they could, even killing small animals with traps to contribute to the food stores.

Those women that stayed still worked. Beyond a certain amount of winters you had to contribute. They worked animal hide into strips, drying them over fire and working it for bedding. They cooked and prepared and made tools for work the men did not understand. Kakarot let out a noise as the troop sat near the women, repeating their signal for food once more. A few of them quickly grabbed fruits and meat, bringing them over and laying them at the feet of the revered warriors.

Vegeta did not eat as the others did, still lost in thought. He'd been stringing an idea together, one that took most of his mental abilities to understand. Finally, Raditz tapped at Vegeta with his long brown tail, frowning at him.  _ What bothers you? _

Vegeta rubbed the back of his head. "Heart," he said. "Can not move."

Kakarot shrugged his shoulder.  _ So? _

"Family must go."

Nappa hummed. "Cold? Winter?"

Vegeta nodded. The last several winters had each been colder than the last. With the cold came illness; the last winter had thinned their numbers even more, and there was no sign of it getting warmer. Two warriors in their primes had been frozen to death after being trapped by a beast in a cave last year, a loss they really couldn't afford.

They needed to move south. If they began preparation now, with the green only just returned to the land, they'd be able to leave and walk towards warmer weather in time. Everyone knew this, but a migration had not happened within anyone's lifetime. This had been home for his mother, and her mother before her.

Raditz had already grown bored; this wasn't a new conversation. He made a grunt of attention towards the women, moving aside the fur that covered him and leaving himself naked. One of the women in her prime came over happily, crawling into his lap and lowering herself onto him.

His troop barely acknowledged this, continuing with Vegeta's worry. Kakarot munched absently in his fruit. "Not elder."

Vegeta huffed.  _ Obviously. _

There was a difference between a revered, retired warrior and an elder. Age was not enough to give a warrior a vote in the future of the family. Once retired, a warrior became eligible for the title, but few ever went for it. There were only a few elders left now.

"Paragus, say no," Nappa said knowingly.

Vegeta scowled. " _ Must _ go."

Raditz let out a deep grunt as he released. He rested his face in the woman's neck, a gesture of thanks. She touched his chest gently, a proper thank you to a revered warrior for his years of service, then left them as casually as she had approached. Raditz fixed his furs, looking up to his peers. "Speak then."

They all looked to Vegeta. This proposal was his idea, so it was up to him to bring it before the elders. This was usually when the conversation ended. They agreed, then no one brought it before the elders. But things were different now. They had respect now, the thanks of a grateful tribe. They had the ability to fight for elder status themselves.

Vegeta stood suddenly and strode through the cave, and his troop followed suit. 

There were only two elders left. The last winter was especially unkind to the old. Elder Paragus and Elder Turles were kept apart from the other revered warriors, given the finest furs and freshest food. They sat together most days, chatting idly about years past. Vegeta and his troop approached them, bowing low and touching their foreheads to the cave floor.

The two elders ignored them for a few moments finishing their small argument over the last of their berries, then turned their attention to their subordinates.

"Speak," Paragus said.

Vegeta sat up. "Elders, winter comes."

They shook their heads, waving their hands.  _ No time soon. _

"Winter comes," Vegeta insisted. "Family must go."

They looked back at him clearly annoyed. Turles pointed back towards the flames. "Heart given."

Vegeta sighed. Some among them believed the Heart Of The Cave had been gifted to them by the gods, and therefore their home here was blessed. Vegeta doubted that, and the elders should have as well. Some of the elders who'd died in the last winter swore they had known those who could rekindle the Heart in an emergency, and said they remembered a time before this one had been born. However, the ritual had been lost in the sicknesses that occasionally overtook them.

"Bring Heart," Vegeta said.

Paragus snorted. He waved his hand and snapped his fingers shut.  _ The weather would kill it. _

"Many torches," Vegeta said. "The family must--"

"Elders spoke," Turles snapped. 

Vegeta set his jaw, scowling. It was disrespectful to keep pleading his case once a decision had been made.

The elders looked at his troop to see if they had other issues to discuss, but they just shook their heads and backed away. Vegeta stayed still. He patted his chest.

"Vegeta, trial," he said loudly, looking Paragus in the eye.

The cave fell silent, his rough voice echoing through its massive chambers and drawing the attention of the tribe. Any retired warrior could try for a place as an elder, but it was rare. There was a reason for that. His own troop looked shocked, not believing he would take this to such an extreme.

Paragus stood, leaning heavily upon a wooden staff given down through the ages. His tail, thinner than it once was, curled absently around the wood, a sign that he was annoyed. He held his hand flat, turning it twice.  _ Mistake _ . "Away," he admonished.

Vegeta shook his head, tapping his chest again. "Vegeta, trial," he insisted. 

"Vegeta  _ fail, _ " Turles warned. "Not strong enough."

Vegeta growled. Any other member of the tribe saying that would mean immediately combat, but elders were above that. All he could do was stand on his right as a revered warrior. "Trial!" He demanded.

Paragus slowly turned back to Turles, speaking to him quietly. When he turned back to Vegeta, there was a wicked gleam in his eye. "Trial. Moonlight."

Vegeta bowed respectfully to take his leave, but Paragus was not done.

"Fools die," the elder said simply. 

Raditz placed a guiding hand on Vegeta's arm, and he allowed his troop to draw him away.

\---------------

News traveled fast among the family. At moonlight, a revered warrior would rejoin the fight, take the challenge to become an elder. Some were sure he would do it, others certain he would die. Whether they were bolstering his confidence or mourning his coming death, the warrior spent the next several hours being showered with gifts.

He sat with his troop, sharpening his weapons that he'd thought not to use again. Some bands may be stoic at a time like this, saying nothing as one of their number prepared for battle. This troop had never done well at silence in the face of excitement.

Kakarot squeezed the flesh above his own heart. "Fight. Help."

Vegeta nodded. He knew all of them felt that way. They had hunted as brothers their whole lives, and the thought of one of them being alone against death was uncomfortable. They wanted desperately to come with him, partially for his own safety, and somewhat for the adrenaline they craved.

"Vegeta live," Nappa said, trying to sound wise. He beat the other being on the chest.  _ Strong. _

At that moment another well wisher came by, holding a folded pack under her arm. Kakarot grinned to see her, nodding at the small child clutching her leg. He offered up a bit of the dried meat to her, and a piece to the child.

"Chichi," he said, bumping his hand to his mouth.

She smiled back, taking the offering and nodding to her child to eat it. She set the pack before Vegeta, bowing. "Trial. Vegeta live."

He nodded to her in thanks, and the woman tugged the child along with her back to her work. Raditz put a hand on Kakarot's shoulder and held the other in a cradling motion to indicate the child. "Kakarot?"

Kakarot shrugged, smiling a victorious smile. The boy did resemble him, a great honor. Occasionally a child would be born who looked so much like a warrior that they were declared to be the warrior's next life. If the boy lived past childhood, then they believed Kakarot's spirit would share his body after he passed, prolonging his life by several years after death. No one was sure how it happened, why some warriors were deemed worthy of continued life by the gods, but no one dared question it.

Vegeta himself had been one of these special children. He had inherited his name from a warrior who looked just like him in face and hair. That Vegeta had never made it to elder status, he'd died shortly after his retirement, only a day after his namesake's birth. Still, when the other members saw the same face on a child they passed the name along, believing the warrior had made it back to life just in the nick of time.

Vegeta unfurled the pack, examining its contents. The woman had packed him provisions; an empty gourd with a stopper of sap for water, a snack of dried fruit and a sharp knife, clearly just finished. He grimaced and gave the knife to Nappa with a wave to say  _ 'take it _ '. He'd been hunting with the same knife since childhood, and now was no time to try a new blade. 

The warriors returned from their hunt, moderately successful, and dinner was lively. Daylight eased away from the entrance to the cave, and soon The Heart Of The Cave and it's smaller offspring were the only source of light. The dark was an enemy, as deadly as any coiled snake their unfortunate late family members had tread upon, and even the wide ledge outside of the massive cave made them uneasy after night had fallen. Still, the trial had to begin by moonlight, and they all crowded around the elders outside when the time came.

The flames of torches cast strange shadows across Vegeta's broad shoulders as they prepared him for the ritual. Three women, old enough to be elders themselves but without the title, showed a few of the younger ones how to mix the berries that served as his paint. Raditz took the liberty of the painting, coloring over Vegeta's eyes, down his forehead, and over his chin. Kakarot was the one to place a bright leaf in his hair, saved the season before the last winter for any special occasion. Nappa got the honor of placing a fresh green wreath over his neck; green, for life and luck.

Once he was adorned, Paragus rose from his seat. The tribe was quiet, waiting to hear what form the trial may take. Old legends told of previous tasks; to slay a mammoth bare handed, to walk until they reached the great waters and bring back a skin of its salt. Whatever the task it would help the group as a whole, and prove the warrior's perseverance.

Paragus' staff tapped against the stone as he walked to the painted initiate. Vegeta knelt, awaiting his task. He was prepared, he thought, for anything.

"Elders speak," Paragus announced with that same sly smirk. "Vegeta elder by trial. Trial is, bring back wolf."

Vegeta nodded. "Tribe feast wolf."

The crowd cheered, excited to hear such a simple task that would end in a good meal, but Paragus let out an attention grabbing grunt.

The elder shook his head. "Wolf  _ live _ ."

Vegeta stared up at him. His tribe had gone silent, looking at the elders with a mixture of shock and outrage. Wolves had taken out many of their number before; it normally took at least two warriors to kill a lone one. Vegeta was strong, brave enough to take one alone, but to bring it back  _ alive _ ? That was more than impossible, it was dangerous. Even if he managed to trap one and drag it back, it could escape at any time and kill them all.

Before anyone could protest, Paragus threw a stone to the ground, beginning the trial. Once given, the trial could not be taken back. His only options now were to either admit defeat or die trying to accomplish the task. Vegeta growled, standing so suddenly the elder stumbled back. Two warriors ran forward and caught him before he fell, easing the elder back to sit. Vegeta beat his chest, daring to step into the elder's space. 

"Vegeta trial!" He roared. "Bring Wolf." Without another word he grabbed a torch and jumped from the ledge down to the dirt ramps piled below it, gripping his pack beneath his other arm.

He heard Kakarot let out the first whoop of the hunt from behind him, Nappa and Raditz following suit. Younger warriors took up the call, sending him off with hollers of victory. Vegeta did not look back, striding away with confidence he did not have.

A live wolf. Wolves hunted in packs almost always, so even finding a lone one to kill would have been a challenge befitting of an elder trial. There was only one place he had ever seen wolves not trying to tear out the throats of other beings.

He had to find The Others.


	2. Chapter 2

He didn't walk through the night; the danger was still there, regardless of how self righteous or confident he felt. He walked as far as he had to in order to be out of sight from the tribe, then he ducked for shelter under a narrow ledge. He gathered wood and carefully cultivated it into a larger blaze, sitting in the smoke to ward off insects that buzzed hungrily around him.

Vegeta took the dried meat the woman had gifted him and chewed on it absently, trying to make a plan. Survival was not the problem, really. He'd only been old by his tribe's standards for a season; his reflexes were still good and his mind sharp. He could hunt and cook his food, so long as he protected his flame.

No, the trouble was deciding how to approach The Others. Any rival tribe would be dangerous to approach, but The Others were not like any tribe. They looked different, weaker, easily distinguishable from anyone in his family. He'd heard stories, but ran into them only once before.

It was when he was much younger, really a youth sent out to watch the older men hunt to learn. Even then he'd been with his troop, cultivating the bond that would hold them together later. Their party had been hunting a Claw, learning the signs it left behind.

When they reached the beast, they found it already dead. Two of The Others stood over it, cutting it apart to drain the blood before hauling it back to their people. They stood tall, bodies wrapped in furs large enough to sleep in, strange weapons hanging at their hips. The sight of Vegeta's tribesmen had put them on instant alert; The Others were outnumbered seven to two.

One of the older warriors of Vegeta's tribe did not want conflict with The Others. He held up his hands and moved them back and forth, a gesture suggesting that the two give the tribe a small piece of meat as a peace offering.

"Back off, Apes!" One of The Others shouted at them. "This is our kill! You can't have it!"

Some of those words made sense to Vegeta, but most didn't. Besides, he didn't understand the being's hostility. Why couldn't they give up a small piece of meat to maintain peace? Any other tribe would have done so immediately. The warrior made the peace offering gesture again, with wider movements, thinking perhaps they hadn't seen it.

The Others looked on without comprehension. The warrior stepped forward; he clearly intended to cut a small piece off of the Claw to show them how to make the offering. Then The Others made a terrible mistake. One of them let their spear fly, piercing the body of the warrior. War sparked instantly, the six remaining tribesmen easily killing the two offenders. They took the Claw and the failing body of their member home, watching him bleed out the whole way. He died in the cave, next to the family, and the Elders proclaimed The Others to be enemies. They were unfeeling, murderous devils. And now Vegeta had to find some of them.

Vegeta never saw one again, but they had been spotted. Their group seemed to be nomadic, they were spotted more after the first thaw each year, meaning his chances of finding them were higher. Other troops had reported run-ins, some losing part of their ranks to the vicious beings. The scariest stories told among the cave on dark nights was about the animals that stalked alongside them. Dozens of warriors swore The Others hunted now with wolves by their side, aiding them in tracking and attacking their enemies. One lucky warrior that escaped to tell the tale had a wolf bite on his leg to prove it.

The Others must have some magic, he decided, that was completely unknown to his tribe. They bound the wolves to them somehow, and if he could figure out how he could complete the impossible task the elders had given him. He'd have to force one of them to show him the magic.

The Others were physically weaker than most of his family, he was pretty sure he could take one of them in combat easily. Unfortunately, they never hunted singularly. They seemed to operate similarly in that regard; when their warriors searched for game it was as a pack. The odds of him finding a lone warrior far from their home were slim.

That left him only the option of finding their tribe.

He slept intermittently on purpose, less than an hour at a time so he could check on his flame. He broke camp before day break, hoping to use the dim light of early morning to spot light in the distance. He didn't. That made sense; he wasn't that far from his home, and if The Others were close enough to see after only a night of walking there would have been an all out battle long before this.

When the sun rose, he was able to use it to navigate. Carrying his reignited torch and pack he began his hike straight south. He wanted the family to go that way for better weather, it only made sense that The Others may have thought of this as well. Every now and then he carved a bit of bark from the south side of the tree, hoping to make his trip back easier. He planned on carrying a wild beast with him after all.

At midday he took some time to hunt and finish the last of his meat, skinning the rabbit he'd caught. It was a pain to stop, it meant he had to collect enough wood to touch his torch to, being careful not to allow it to be snuffed out by the elements. If his torch was still lit when he returned he would have proof to show the tribe that The Heart Of The Cave could survive their migration.

He managed to walk until a short while after sunset before he was nervous enough to make camp. He was out of his territory now; he'd reached his own record distance before the sun went down. He slept only sparingly again, feeding the flame and drinking the last of his fresh water.

It was only midmorning the next day when he heard the rush of water in the distance, and he headed straight for the sound. The river he was headed toward was loud, loud enough that he nearly missed the voices ahead of him. He froze when he recognized the cadence of speech, pausing to shove his torch into the ground next to his pack. He climbed up into the trees with his long tail to aid him in balance.

Vegeta eased across the closely grown branches, moving slowly to stop from alerting anyone. The river came into view below him, and he knew why it had been so loud. He was at the top of a cliff, within eyesight of a waterfall in the distance. The water was calm enough here, but got choppier further on. It was a good place for filling skins and washing, evidenced by the group of women working at the water's edge. There were a few large stones in the water here they could use to cross it safely.

Vegeta stayed as still as possible, sizing up the group. They were definitely Others, though he'd never seen a female one before. There were no men in sight, and no weapons among them. That meant they were most likely not far from their camp; they felt secure here. He raised an eyebrow; even if they were only a few minutes from camp, women in his family would have the sense to take at least a spear apiece. 

He heard the beasts before he saw them. Deep, guttural coughs aimed in his direction. His heart leapt in his chest, the sting of fear on his skin. Wolves. The women had wolves.

He saw a few of them, hidden before because their brownish skin blended well into the mud of the banks where they'd been lounging in the sun. Some of them had approached the treeline where he hid, not quite aimed directly at him, but definitely catching the scent of an unknown being.

The women noticed, quickly collecting together their wash and skins, running from the direction of danger. A few of them called back to the wolves and most of the beasts obeyed, giving up the hunt and following after the retreat. A lone wolf stayed behind, hunkered next to a single woman who had not risen from her work, the only one who sat on Vegeta's side of the river.

Another woman stopped running, turning back to call to the remaining one. "Bulma? What are you doing?"

"I'm just… I'm almost  _ done _ ," the one she'd named responded. "I'm right behind you."

" _ Bulma _ ," the woman said exasperatedly, "did you not hear the dogs barking?"

"Yes, I know," Bulma said absently. The remaining beast had come to sit beside her, still casting nervous glances to the treeline. "Ohchi's staying with me. I only need to find a few more stones."

"Bulma, let's  _ go _ ."

"I'm  _ coming _ , Mother. The last time the dogs barked it was just a deer. I'll be fine."

The woman huffed, carrying her burden off towards the camp. Vegeta grinned. Foolish woman. She'd dropped a perfect opportunity directly in his lap. He'd capture her easily, her and the wolf, and threaten to kill her unless she taught him how to control it.

He just had to figure out how to stop the wolf from attacking him first.

The beast in question had turned back to the treeline, whining softly and backing up against the woman. She unconsciously scratched his ears. 

"Just a few more minutes, Ohchi," she mumbled. "We'll catch up to them."

A scent crossed the wind between the trees. The hairs on the back of Vegeta's neck stood up; he knew the warnings of the wilderness, but the girl below appeared blissfully unaware of what was coming. Could The Others really be so ignorant?

A massive Claw stalked between the trees below him, moving ever closer to the river. The wolf's whine turned into a low growl, and only then did the woman show any sign of knowing what danger she was in. She dropped most of her odd collection of rocks, slowly turning her head just as the animal came into view.

" _ Oh _ ," Bulma said quietly. " _ Shit _ ." She looked around for something to use as a weapon, finally lifting a large stone. She aimed the pathetic stone at the Claw, knowing full well it wouldn't be enough to hurt it. The wolf obediently jumped between her and the approaching death, growling viciously but horribly outmatched.

Vegeta frowned. It was the wolf he needed, not the woman, but how to make it obey without learning the magic of The Others? He needed her alive to teach him. With a heavy sigh he pulled his trusted knife from the hides around his waist.

Ohchi barked at the Claw, daring it to come closer. The creature took the challenge, surging forward. The wolf dived for the Claw's neck, fangs sinking in deep. The beast shook him off, swatting the wolf away into the river with one swing of its paw. It was swept away in the water, rushing quickly downstream.

"Ohchi!" Bulma called, reaching for the wolf.

The Claw was going to use the distraction to charge her, but he wasn't expecting the attack from above. Vegeta leapt from the branches of the tree, landing directly on the beast's back and plunging his knife into its shoulder. 

The Claw yowled, trying to buck him off and swinging broadly. Bulma screamed, backing up again. Her heel hit the bank of the river, and she nearly fell backwards. She took the opportunity to run, jumping quickly to one of the boulders sticking up out of the water.

With a roll, the Claw had Vegeta off of his back. Vegeta's knife was knocked from his hand, clattering into the dust. He scrambled for it, instincts betraying him. He was used to hunting with his troop; Kakarot should be distracting the beast with screams, and Raditz should be covering him from danger. But his troop wasn't here. As he grabbed his weapon the beast's claw swiped viciously downwards, slicing his back and knocking him towards the river.

Vegeta hit the water hard and the Claw roared, reaching for him. It shrank from the water, immediately turning its attention to the fleeing woman. Bulma screamed; it was much too fast for her. She jumped into the water to avoid it, quickly being swept away by the current. The Claw roared angrily, unwilling to jump in after them.

Vegeta popped up from the surface of the water, further downstream than before. The river was choppier here, and it would take a concerted effort to swim back to shore. He started swimming hard, ignoring the ache from his wounds.

_ Slam _ . Bulma collided with him, knocking him off course. He let out a yell, the deep cuts in his back burning. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, flailing in the water. They crashed against another rock, fighting to stay above the surface.

Vegeta heard the rushing, and he knew what it meant. 

"The waterfall!" Bulma screamed, grabbing at his arm.

There wasn't time to plan. They went faster and faster, and then they were over the edge. 

\------------

The waterfall roared nearby, ending at a huge lake and then breaking off into two smaller rivers not far away. The midday sun beat down on Vegeta's face. The pain in his back was the first sense he was aware of before his eyes snapped open. He turned over, wincing as he coughed up some water into the dirt. He could tell some time had passed, and wasn't sure when he'd lost consciousness. He was just thankful he'd been lucky enough to wash up on dry land. He felt at his waist, looking for his knife, and when it wasn't on him he started to search for it.

That's when he saw her.

The woman was still in the water, caught on a pile of driftwood. She wasn't moving, but her head was above water. There was a chance.

He dived into the water and swam towards her, no small feat. His chest burned, and he was pretty sure he had broken a few bones. He reached her and held a hand over her lips. Soft breath met his fingers. She was alive.

He untangled the woman's clothing from the driftwood, pulling her to the bank at the edge of the waterfall. The work pulled at his wounds, making him snarl. If his troop was here, they would be tending to his back. Nappa would wash it clean of mud and put a chewed poultice over it. He'd be allowed to rest in the cave while they sat nearby him, reliving the battle. He shook his head to clear it; this was no time for wishing.

He sat by the woman for a moment, catching his breath. An echo reached his ears, and he peered more closely at the rushing water. There was a cave behind it. Vegeta grabbed the woman again, hauling her through the waterfall and into the hollow behind it. It wasn't enormous, but there was room enough for the two of them, and more crucially room for--

He froze. His torch sat far away, high up the cliff they'd tumbled from by a tree. He stepped back, checking to see if the face of it was climbable. Even if it had been, he was in no shape to accomplish it. He had been separated from the warmth of The Heart Of The Cave.

Vegeta cursed loudly, searching through the growth for his knife. He found that at least; whatever current had washed him up had brought his knife to rest near the bank as well. He searched briefly for the wolf that had gone over the edge, but there was no sign of it. It likely hadn't been so lucky.

He returned to the cave, rubbing his hand against his face as he thought hopelessly about the pack he'd left by his torch. All of his food was lost, not that he could cook it. Finally, he approached her.

The woman was still unconscious, but her breath was steady. A trickle of blood came from the side of her head, just above her ear. He'd never examined one of The Others up close before. She was tall, slightly taller than him even. Her bright blue hair hung down in a way he wasn't used to; his own had already dried enough to reshape into the spikes his entire tribe seemed to sport. Her face, not exactly ugly, was different than it should be, he thought.

The wolf was gone, but clearly this woman knew how to control them. He would simply force her to explain how she did so, then he'd go find his own beast to tame. He leaned closer, interested in her curious scent.

Her eyes opened. She screamed.

The woman slapped him hard, and he let out an angry grunt. She scooted back, staring at him with wide eyes. "Get away from me!" She hollered. "Who do you think you are?"

He growled angrily, pointing his knife in her direction. She eyed it warily, but to his surprise it only seemed to make her madder.

"I know what  _ you _ are," she said pointing a finger at him. "You're one of those  _ things _ . The Monkey Men, the animals that look like people! I'm warning you, Buddy, people will come looking for me!" She pointed down. "So you better start explaining what I'm doing here right now!"

He stared at her hand, confused. He did not understand half of the words coming from her mouth, but her gesture confused him. Pointing at someone and then pointing to the ground was an order to stay put. Why would she yell at him to get away but order him to stay? Besides, she was his prisoner, not the other way around. He copied the gesture at her, then raised the knife for emphasis.

"Woman--"

"My  _ name _ is Bulma," she said, crossing her arms. "And you had better let me go!"

_ Name _ and  _ Bulma  _ translated. He tested the word on his lips a few moments before he managed it. "Bulma,  _ not _ go." He raised his palm and curled his fingers toward himself.  _ Give me _ .

She looked at him like he'd grown another head. "You expect me to come over there? I don't think so! I'm telling you, I'm a very important person to my tribe. They'll come looking for me, and if they find you--"

"Wolf magic!" He ordered, repeating the gesture.

"What?" She asked. "Don't try to confuse me! I've heard tales about you…  _ monsters _ . We've lost a dozen warriors to you. What, do you think it's fun to just kill people? Huh? Well this is one trophy you can't keep!"

Vegeta caught the scent, his eyes going wide as he looked towards the falling water. The predator was back. The woman didn't seem to notice, she was still yelling at him. He gestured at her wildly, repeatedly covering his mouth to tell her to stay quiet.

She tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

He growled. She was going to give away their position. He dived forward and covered her mouth. She squealed in protest, trying to wriggle away, but he held her still, pointing towards the falling water. She finally seemed to understand as the sound of huge paws slapping in the mud approached them.

Bulma's eyes went wide, and she turned white as a sheet. Vegeta let her face go, confident she wouldn't make a sound. He palmed his knife, the only defense he had. They stayed still as possible as the Claw tried to find them, likely tracking their scent.

Vegeta tried to slow the beating of his heart and kept his eyes down. A being could always feel your eyes on it; he'd learned that lesson many years ago during hunting trips. He looked at Bulma and found her staring wantonly at the water, then angrily pushed her head downward to take her eyeline off of the coming animal. To her credit, she stayed silent, and kept her eyes away from the predator after that.

Hours passed. Clearly the water had affected their scent, and the Claw did not realize there was a cave. It stayed nonetheless, patrolling the last place their scent had been. The woman had relaxed slightly, a foolish decision really. The beast could realize at any time where they were. In any case she leaned back against the side of the cave, wiping sweat from her brow. Vegeta stayed crouched by the edge, ready to defend himself.

Eventually, the sun began to set. Vegeta's muscles started to ache as badly as his injuries from holding position too long. He heard a rustling behind him.

The woman, against the odds, had managed to keep a small skin pouch tied to the inside of her clothes. She opened it soundlessly, revealing a small cache of dried meats. At first he panicked, worried the beast would smell it, but he dismissed that thought. If it could smell through the waterfall it would have found them by now. His stomach growled angrily and he sighed. He needed energy to fight if the beast attacked, and he had no food of his own. He would have to humble himself and ask for a portion of the meat.

Vegeta turned to her, bowing. He held a hand out at her flatly.  _ I humbly ask for enough of what is yours that I may live. _

Bulma frowned at him, assuming he was demanding part of her food. "Well you're awfully pushy aren't you?" She whispered.

He didn't understand her words, but her tone caught him off guard. There was not a more innocent request one could give. Any member of Vegeta's tribe, if given that gesture, would be morally bound to give aid to whoever had made it. Could The Others really be so evil that they would deny it outright? He frowned at her, appalled by the evil he thought he saw.

"Shame," he breathed accusingly. A powerful word with a powerful connotation. He was telling her she should think about her actions and feel guilt. It was a word you mostly said to young ones to teach them the right ways to behave.

"You should be," she whispered back, misunderstanding. "But you did help me escape that sabertooth." She passed him a portion of the meat. "There. I guess I owe you one."

He nodded, assuming she had seen the error of her ways. At least The Others could learn.

He scooted to the other side of the cave, still keeping himself aware of the entrance. The sound of the water seemed to drown their voices sufficiently. With the adrenaline of mortal peril fading he felt the full weight of his injuries again. He let himself be homesick for a few moments, then shook it off.

"Give magic, Bulma go," he whispered. "Not give, Bulma stay."

She was silent for a long moment, watching him while she chewed on her meal. "I don't know what you're talking about," she finally sighed. "Figures. I get held hostage and it's by something that can't make demands. That's very 'Bulma'."

He sighed, the weight of the impossibility of his task suddenly heavier. The Others understood nothing. They acted like violent children in the best of circumstances, she may be incapable of giving him the information he needed. He was cold, the blood loss significant, and fatigue settled in his bones. He really was getting old. He laid on his stomach to avoid the cuts on his back, laying his body against the cold stone.

He heard her gasp. "Your back!" She breathed, scooting closer. "Did the sabretooth do this?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sa-burr…"

She pointed at the waterfall and the beast somewhere past it. "Ya' know, big angry hungry monster? He's had us trapped in here all day?"

He grunted, nodding. "Claw."

She squinted through the low light at his back. "That looks bad. Um…" she rubbed her chin, looking down at her furs. She tore a long strip off of the very bottom and scooted over to the water, soaking the fabric. She came back to his side, gently washing the caked blood away.

He stared at her, more confused than before. Wound care was… intimate. He'd expect it from his troop only, or his mother before she died. If he was close to death the rest of the tribe would intervene if necessary, but his injury wasn't bad enough for that. Why would this woman go from denying him the humblest request to treating him like a troop member?

"Your blood clotted really quickly," she muttered, "but you still lost a lot of it."

He wasn't really listening. His eyes dragged downwards, and he fell into sleep against his will.


	3. Chapter 3

In his dreams, he saw home. He didn't care about the cave necessarily, but the people inside of it. The faces he had looked at for all of the years of his life surrounded him, and doubt tugged at his mind. Why fight so hard to get the tribe to safer lands? He'd be dead in a handful of years anyway. He could just coast by, sleeping and eating and resting. He could return immediately and report his mission had failed. Someone else could work to change the Elder's minds.

No. He couldn't think like that. Those kinds of thoughts were what had led to Paragus' and Turles' laziness. 

He was awake now, but made no move to get up. He could feel it was late into the night, perhaps almost morning. He felt the tightness of his skin across his back, and realized the woman must have covered the gash with cloth. There was no reason to awaken yet, he thought. He could just lie here, revelling in the rest and the warmth from--

His eyes snapped open. Only a yard in front of him sat a bright flame, burning boldly.

He gasped, scrambling to his knees and backing away from the flame. How could it be here? His torch had been left far away, and it would have burned out by now anyway. Was this a message from the gods?

Bulma had been resting on the other side of the flames, but his outburst had awoken her. She rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong? Is it back?"

"Heart Of The Cave," he said, pointing at it. 

She looked at it. "The fire? I made it a few hours ago. It's alright, I checked outside, the sabretooth is gone."

He stared at it, transfixed. The woman had made this flame? He supposed that was possible, he believed it could be made, though he'd never seen it himself.

She tilted her head. "You've seen fire before, right?"

"F-fi-yer. Heart Of The Cave."

Something clicked in Bulma's head, her mouth dropping open . "Do we have… different names for things?"

He said nothing, not understanding.

Bulma nodded to herself slowly. The concept of different languages or dialects was entirely new, not just to herself but to the young world. Bulma pointed directly at the flame. "Fire."

He copied her, comprehension sparking. "Fire. Flame. The Heart Of The Cave."

She grinned, wanting to keep testing her theory. She touched the water rushing at the entrance to the cave. "Water."

He nodded, agreeing with her. "Water."

Her smile faltered. "Huh. Only some words are different. Why?"

He shrugged, feeling at his back.

"I wrapped the cuts on your back," she said. "I figured I owed you more than food. We're even."

He smiled, scooting a bit closer to her to thank her for taking the burden of nursing him. Bulma's eyes went wide, looking nervous, though he wasn't sure why. He reached out with one muscled arm and wrapped it gently around her shoulder, laying his face against her neck.

Her heart beat faster, and he felt her scent sharpen fiercely. "Hey, uh… what are you doing?"

He sat back, brow furrowing, and reached back to point to his injury. She didn't respond. He sighed. Nevermind. The Claw's scent had faded, and they needed more food.

He grabbed his knife from the ground and she leaned back a bit. He lowered it, making a circle with his other hand.  _ I am not trying to hurt you. _

She still looked unnerved. "Am I like… a prisoner?"

He pointed at her and the ground, but with softer movements.  _ Please stay. _

She watched his hands, then slowly nodded. Vegeta left her by the fire and walked out through the waterfall, easing himself into the shallows of the lake.

As he'd expected, there was plenty to eat. He stood perfectly still for a stretch of time, allowing the fish to become accustomed to his presence. He kept his hands down in the water, and slowly they started to swim by him to investigate. His hands snapped shut, grabbing a startled fish in his palms. He threw the fish up on the bank for safekeeping, then did it twice more.

He brought the fish back to find she had gone to sleep. He supposed she'd earned it; she'd done him a great kindness by wrapping his wounds and waiting for the Claw to leave. More importantly, she'd created flame.

Fire. That's what she called it. Different words, one meaning.  _ Different words, one meaning.  _ He repeated it to himself a few times, making sure he understood the concept. Maybe that was why she wasn't giving him the magic to control her wolf? She didn't understand his request.

Vegeta cut out the bones from the fish and set them to roast above the fire. Bulma slowly woke to the smell of the sizzling meat, rubbing her eyes as she forced herself up. She was more hungry than tired.

Vegeta picked up the finished fish and handed it to her across the fire, bumping the back of his hand to his lips. Bulma watched him, then slowly copied the gesture. He repeated it, holding out the fish expectantly. She took it, smirking shrewdly.

"It's your hands," she said, grinning triumphantly as she bit into the fish. "Monkey Men talk with their hands, don't they?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"No," she mused, rubbing her chin. "Not your hands. Your whole body. You have less words because you use your bodies to talk."

He shrugged, not really understanding what she meant. He was getting used to that.

"Weird," she mumbled. "But… it explains a lot. I thought you were all just stupid."

He grunted indignantly, understanding that word just fine.

"I was wrong!" She said quickly. "I've just been told you talk like children.  _ Blood soaked _ children, but--"

Vegeta froze, catching the scent of the Claw again. It wasn't here yet, but it was coming. Bulma seemed to catch his panic, eyes growing into wide saucers as she shoved the rest of her food in her mouth to mask its scent.

The smell of the food wouldn't matter, not if the Claw smelled the smoke of the fire. Vegeta lurched toward the waterfall and cupped water in his hands, but stopped there.

Behind him The Heart Of The Cave continued to crackle. They had to hide it, or they could die. But to extinguish flame,  _ purposefully _ , was beyond taboo. Flame meant warmth, food, life. To douse his only source of it, even to prolong his life, was a dangerous risk. Bulma seemed to catch his hesitation, diving forward to help him. She splashed water on the flame, urging him on.

"I'll make one later," she promised him. She pointed at the flames, worried he wouldn't get it. "Bulma. Make.  _ Later _ ."

He nodded, swallowing the knot in his throat. He helped her to douse the flame, and then they both scooted back away from the waterfall.

The Claw returned a few moments later. The smoke had dissipated some, but traces of it still hung in the air. Vegeta quickly finished his meal, trying to mask the scent of cooked food. They heard a low growl as it searched the area, and she reached out to grab his hand.

Vegeta looked down at the connection, confused again by her forwardness. Holding someone's hand was as intimate as tending their wounds. He had held the hands of his troop on their way to battle; a solemn reminder that they had each other's backs no matter what. His mother had held his hand when he was a child; it was how women guided their babies to keep them safe. Another woman had never held his hand.

Bulma noticed his attention and blushed, releasing him and putting her hand back in her lap. "Sorry."

Time passed. Clearly the Claw had not spotted them, but it wasn't gone. When Vegeta peeked out at daylight he saw the beast asleep on the opposite bank.

They felt safe enough to stretch again. Bulma leaned close enough to whisper. "Should we make a run for it?"

Vegeta shook his head. He pointed to the ground. "Safe."

She nodded. "I suppose you're right. If it hasn't found us yet we probably shouldn't tempt fate. Have you ever fought a sabretooth besides this one?"

"Yes," he nodded, catching her words for the Claw. "With troop."

"Troop?" She asked. "Like a group? Your whole tribe took one down?"

He shook his head. "Troop. Vegeta. Kakarot. Nappa. Raditz." He swung his hand down. "Very many Claws."

"Wow," she muttered. "Only four of you? It takes more of us than that to kill a sabretooth."

He blinked.

"Four," she repeated, holding up four fingers. "Do you know numbers?" She lowered and raised each of them. "One, two, three, four. Get it?"

He chuckled at her and nodded, thinking it was awfully childish of her to name her fingers. His knowledge of counting was simple. A single, a few, many, very many. 

"Is your troop nearby? Could they fight the sabretooth?"

He shook his head. "Alone. Bulma family?"

She paled a bit. "Well… yeah, I know I said they'd come look for me, but… this isn't the first time I've gotten lost. I tend to wander off. They might not look for a while. Even then, the Council is getting tired of sending people after me."

"Cown-sil?"

She hummed. "Uh, you know, the guys in charge."

He tilted his head.

She thought a moment, then held up two fingers again. "Bulma, Bulma's family," she said pointing to each of them. Then she held up a shaking fist above them, authoritatively. "Council. In charge."

Vegeta was taken aback, she was making the motion of a beast leveling a tribe. This 'Council' must be very powerful. He nodded knowingly. Clearly her tribe served a vengeful god they had to appease.

"Damn, I'm good at this," she smiled. "So, I'm lucky, because my father is part of the Council."

Now he was really confused. "Fah-ther?"

"Oh, I don't know how to… okay," she said. "We can do this, we just have to figure out your word or gesture for it. So, you know about babies right?" She folded her arms like she was cradling an infant. "Ya'know, babies?"

"Child," he nodded, mimicking her.

"Yes, child. So, a father is the man who helps make a child."

He blinked.

She sighed. "So you've got the father, and the mother--"

"Mother," Vegeta caught, smiling.

"So you know the word mother?"

"Yes. Vegeta mother. Good."

She smiled. "She sounds nice. Where is she?"

Vegeta snorted, looking at her strangely, a bit amused.

"What?"

"Mother die."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she frowned. "How did she die?"

He pointed at his face.

She blinked. "You… killed her?"

He shook his head angrily. "Vegeta  _ old _ . Mother old. Die."

"Old?" She asked. "You don't look very old to me. How old are you?"

He sat up a bit more proudly. Reaching old age as a warrior was admirable, and he thought she would be impressed by his years. "Born in Spring When River High."

"I have no idea what that means."

He frowned. He was still trying to wrap his mind around a being who didn't understand his language. Was she too ignorant to understand the years as well? This, at least, he remembered being taught as a child. You could map out a man's life easily on your hands.

Vegeta stepped forward and grabbed mud from the earth around the waterfall, carrying it back to Bulma. He reached out and took her hands, and for just a moment she pulled away. He paused, holding his hands toward her more questioningly. She slowly put her hands in his, and he spread her fingers wide.

Vegeta started tapping mud on her fingers. With her palms up, he gently made dots between the underside of all of her knuckles, three on each finger, two on her thumbs, and one on each of her palms. "Hold life," he said simply. He pointed to the dot on the palm of her right hand. "Now."

She nodded, watching intently.

He pointed to her right thumb. "Cold Winter."

"You mean last winter? It was much colder than usual."

He nodded, pointing one dot back. "Gods Shook."

"The earthquake," she nodded, starting to smile. "Two years ago. Is this how you keep track of time without numbers?"

He 'counted' backward for her, naming the years. When he reached the last dot, the one on her left palm, he announced, "Spring When River High. Vegeta born."

She counted up the dots. "You… you're only thirty, Vegeta. That's not old," she laughed.

He huffed offendedly. To live to the end of one's hands and become an elder was a great honor, and she acted as though he was still a child. "Vegeta trial," he reasoned with her. "Elder soon. Die soon."

"I'm a year older than you."

His eyes went wide.  _ This _ woman was older than him? She acted like her years fell on one hand, let alone two. He shook his head. She must be mistaken.

"My father is almost sixty," she argued. "He's not in good health, and he is one of the oldest in our tribe, but still." She saw his blank expression. "Right, no numbers. Um, my father," she tried, reaching toward the mud, "is  _ this _ old." She put a second dot next to each of his.

Vegeta's eyes went wide. No man could live so long as Bulma seemed to be claiming. Could it be true? Were The Others gods of some kind? He shook it off, trying to get back to what mattered. She seemed to be able to understand him some now.

"Bulma," he said, trying to sound gentle. "Give wolf magic?"

Her face turned serious, and she looked a bit less comfortable as she remembered their first meeting. "I don't know what you mean."

"Bulma wolf. Attack Claw."

"You mean Ohchi? My dog?"

"Dog," he tried. "Ohchi." He held his fists firmly.  _ Control _ .

"What about him?"

"Vegeta trial," he explained. "Elder. Need dog magic."

"Ohchi is not magic," she laughed. "He's brave and loyal, I'll give you that, but dumb as a rock. He falls asleep on my face every other night." Her smile faltered, looking out at the waterfall. "I hope he's okay. When he didn't catch my scent he should have headed home, unless he decided to try to take on the sabretooth. If they do come looking for me, we'll have Ohchi to thank."

"Wolf… lay on Bulma?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah," she nodded. "What about it? He's a good dog."

Vegeta turned slightly, showing her a healed scar over his ribs. He pointed to the teeth marks, his finger dipping into the old deformity.

"What did that?" She asked.

" _ Bad _ dog," he answered.

"Oh," she blushed a bit. "I guess your… people have a different relationship with dogs--" she froze, the pieces falling into place, "so you want to know how to  _ control _ them. You think it's magic. Wolf magic."

He nodded excitedly. "Give," he reached out, laying his hands pleadingly against her collarbone.  _ Please _ .

She looked up, startled at the movement. He was closer than before, eyes bright and only inches from her face. There was a long silence. Bulma leaned forward and caught him in a sudden kiss.

Vegeta froze in surprise, but quickly relaxed. This he could make sense of. Kissing was something he was more used to from adults, unlike the hand holding she had done earlier. Kissing was for people close to you in the tribe, an affectionate act to say ' _ we help and trust each other' _ . Bulma wanted to be part of his tribe? Fine by him. They had helped each other after all.

Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as she sighed gently against him. For the first time, he imagined bringing Bulma back with him. It was very rare for the tribe to take in outsiders, and they had never even considered allowing one of The Others. But if she came with him, and he had the Wolf Magic, he would be an Elder and his word would carry a lot of weight. Paragus and Turles' could argue, but Vegeta would have his troop to speak for him also, all revered warriors themselves. She could stay. If she was as old as she said she would have to do very little with the other women.

Bulma pulled away first, breathing fast. "Um...s-sorry. I shouldn't have… you just… sorry."

He smiled at her. "Give magic?"

She looked down. "Vegeta, I don't know what to tell you. I understand, you want to know how to control a dog, but the truth is we don't do that. They're just our pets."

"Pets?" He asked, frowning.

"They're animals that we share our lives with. We feed them and give them warm places to sleep, and they protect us."

He leaned back. "No magic."

She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, Vegeta, we just--"

He growled, backing away and slamming his fist against the cave wall. She fell silent, looking a bit intimidated. He clearly wanted to yell, but wouldn't for fear of alerting the beast outside. His jaw was set angrily, his nostrils flared.

All of this was for nothing.

There was no magic.

He was going to fail.


	4. Chapter 4

A hour passed. She had managed to fall asleep again, but he still sat in fuming silence. He wanted to be angry at her, and her strange people, for disappointing him. The concept of sharing a home with a beast was foreign to him, and he was trying to convince himself it meant The Others were wild animals themselves. Useless. Evil.

But then there was Bulma. Just an hour before he had considered her an unofficial member of his own family. He couldn't square that with his anger. She hadn't tried to hurt him. She clearly didn't understand how important his task was. It wasn't her fault.

His back ached from his injuries. His stomach growled from hunger; the fish from this morning seemed a long way away, but when he checked he saw that the Claw was still patrolling the water. He decided it probably wasn't waiting for them, they'd just managed to find a waterhole it stayed close to. Just his luck. That meant sneaking away would be even harder.

Another part of his body bothered him. It had been a long time since he was away from the cave, from the women he spent time with when he needed release. His hand slipped below the furs wrapped around his waist, adjusting his persistent erection. He glanced toward Bulma.

They were in the same tribe now, right? That was what she had implied with her kiss and other affectionate gestures. She was willing to eat with him and tend his wounds. Maybe she would be willing to relieve other needs of his body as well.

He crawled towards where she was slumped against the cave wall. He sat very close to her, laying his hand against her shoulder.

She woke up, glancing at him. "Oh, are you done being mad?" she grouched half-heartedly.

Vegeta hummed. He supposed she might be upset that he had been angry. He leaned forward and placed a kiss against her shoulder; a gentle apology for something done without malice.

She smiled. "Aw. You're sweet."

He smiled back. Good, she was still affectionate toward him. He pulled the furs away from his waist to leave himself naked, reaching to pull her into his lap.

"Woah!" She almost yelled, backing up. She gasped and turned to the waterfall, half expecting the sabretooth to hear them, but after a long beat they were sure it hadn't heard her. She glared back at Vegeta. "What the hell are you doing?"

He frowned, looking confused. "Want."

" _ Excuse _ me?" She asked indignantly. "Just because I kissed you once you think I… I'm not that kind of girl!"

Vegeta frowned, very confused. He made a low circle with his hand.  _ I'm not trying to hurt you.  _

She waved her hand in a mocking imitation. "What does that mean, huh? You're horny? How dare you!" She huffed.

He stared at her, an eyebrow raised. "Angry?"

" _ Yes _ I'm angry," she grumbled. "I don't know about where  _ you _ come from, but my tribe doesn't just have sex with  _ anyone _ . We're practically strangers."

He shook his head, understanding that. They were not strangers, not after the care they'd shown each other. "Bulma, Vegeta, tribe."

"What do you mean?"

He pointed at his back where she had tended his wounds. He reached out and took her hand, feeling strange to do so, but he thought it must mean something different to her. She twisted her mouth thoughtfully at his hand. "I suppose you have some woman back home waiting for you?"

He nodded, moving his hand tightly over his heart.  _ My family provides for me. _

She pulled her hand away, looking annoyed. "What's her name?"

"Her?"

"Your  _ wife _ . I suppose at your age you must be married off, right?" She said.

He shrugged. 

"I was married," she said, a bit more quietly.

He tilted his head.

"Do you understand 'married'?"

"No."

She sighed. "Two people," she started carefully, "they decide to be together, or it's best for the tribe if they're together. They love each other, they--"

"Love," Vegeta nodded, catching that.

"You understand love?"

"Love tribe. Troop. Bulma."

Her eyes went wide. "Vegeta, you don't love  _ me _ . We barely know each other."

He pointed at his back again. "Bulma, Vegeta, tribe."

Recognition spread over her face. She lowered her voice even further as if someone could possibly hear them. "Do you… have  _ sex _ with your whole tribe?"

"Sex?"

She blushed deeper, gesturing to his nakedness.

Vegeta struggled. He'd never had words for physical needs. What could this strange woman possibly have against his tribe taking care of each other?

"That's… barbaric," she mumbled unconvincingly. "My tribe would never allow something like that. You have  _ one _ husband or  _ one _ wife. How would you even know who the father of your child was?"

He stared blankly.

She remembered. "You… didn't understand fathers. Do you know how babies are made, Vegeta?"

He recognized the word, cradling his arms like a child. "Woman make."

"No, man  _ and _ woman make."

He grabbed at her arm, and he saw the fear flash across her face as he tugged her back, but she quickly understood his actions.

The Claw stood before them, stalking slowly past the waterfall. It had found them at last.

Bulma cursed and scurried to the back of the shallow cave. Vegeta grabbed his knife from the ground and crouched low, growling back at the Claw and trying to look as intimidating as he could.

"Can anyone hear us?" Bulma screamed, hoping that her tribe may be looking for her nearby. "Hello? We're in here!"

The beast leapt toward Vegeta. He swung down, catching the side of the Claw's neck with his knife and managing to avoid sharp claws swiping at him. The Claw caught him on the backswing, knocking him to the ground. 

"Vegeta!" Bulma screamed, throwing small rocks at the beast to try to distract it. Two long, sharp fangs came down on Vegeta's shoulder.

Vicious barking reached their ears, and in moments the waterfall was interrupted again. 

"Ohchi!" Bulma cried. "Kill!"

The dog needed no instruction from her. It had gone immediately for the beast's jugular, tearing at the flesh and knocking the knife free. Bulma grabbed it from the ground, dancing back to bide her time a moment before she jumped forward and shoved the blade into the creature's back.

Vegeta saw all of this as if through a tunnel. He'd felt this before, the lack of pain or worry that meant his life was truly in danger. His shoulder hurt, but it was as if someone was describing the pain to him rather than having to feel it. The Claw finally pulled it's long fangs back, too late to protect itself from Bulma and the dog. He felt the full weight of the animal slump on top of him, and knew that it was dead.

"Vegeta!" Bulma said again, pushing hard at the Claw to get it off of him. He rolled enough to help her, and once it was off he took a deep, coughing breath.

She tore more of her clothes, pushing them against his shoulder. He winced, shaking his head. He pointed at the base of the waterfall and she nodded, scrambling over to scoop at the mud.

The dog sniffed at him and Vegeta flinched back, hand going for his knife. He held it defensively, but it just sniffed at the knife too and barked. Bulma came back with mud, nudging the dog to the side and frantically trying to stop the bleeding. 

"Ohchi won't hurt you," she promised, taking half a second to rub the dog's head lovingly. "He must have stayed nearby to listen for me. The waterfall masked our scent too much to find us."

"Why?" Vegeta asked, eyeing the beast.

"Why did he stay?" She asked, packing the wound with mud. "Dogs help. This is… really deep. I don't know if the mud will be enough."

"No. Vegeta die," he said simply.

"What?" She asked, startled. "No, you won't die! We can fix this, I just need--"

"Much blood," he mumbled, touching the crimson against his skin. "Die."

"This isn't all your blood," she said. "The sabretooth bled all over you. We… we'll go to my village. They'll help you."

"Far?"

"We'd have to go the long way up the cliff, and you'd be slow… it's probably about half a day's walk."

He shook his head. "Die."

Bulma crossed her arms, scowling. "I said no!"

He perked an eyebrow at her.

"That's right, Buddy, you're not  _ allowed _ to die. We're going to stop your bleeding, then head up the cliff. No arguments."

He sighed wearily. A warrior's announcement of knowledge of their death was supposed to be accepted without question, but apparently Bulma was unwilling to honor that tradition. He nodded, deciding he would allow her to push him a bit longer. 

Bulma continued to pack mud on his wound, and his blood clotted faster than she expected again. He sniffed at the blood and realized she had been right-- although he was cut deep, most of the bleeding had been from the sabretooth. The pain slowly set into his shoulder as the shock of the injury faded away, and soon his face was set in a permanent scowl.

Bulma noticed his gritted teeth and hummed thoughtfully, running out of the cave to search along the river bank. She came back shortly with torn leaves in her hands, smiling triumphantly.

"You're in luck," she said, laying the plant on the ground and scratching at it with a rock. A white substance slowly oozed from the leaf and she started to collect it on one hand. "Big leaves, purple stem. It's great for pain."

She moved to hold it up to his mouth and he flinched away, shaking his head. He'd seen that plant before, and seen people be sick from using it. She insisted, holding the hand out to him.

"Do you trust me or not?" She snapped.

He stared hard at her a moment, then slowly scooped the substance from her hand and popped it into his mouth, wincing at the taste.

She helped him stand, then he stepped away, refusing to be supported by her. 

The three of them walked out together, not able to move very quickly due to his dizziness. The light around them slowly grew dimmer, and before they'd gone very far Vegeta held a hand up to stop her. "Night comes."

She looked worriedly at his shoulder. "Maybe we should keep going."

He shook his head, moving to sit against a tree. Moving at night was a guaranteed death for both of them. Bulma sighed and sat down next to him, and Ohchi came to set his head down on her lap.

"How's your shoulder?"

He just grunted. The medicine she'd forced him to eat had taken some of the sting, but his skin felt hot to the touch. He was intelligent enough to know he wouldn't last long. He let his eyes close, fully expecting to die before he could open them again. Hopefully the dog would take care of Bulma until she made it home...

"Hey, knock it off!" She snapped.

He opened his eyes, grumbling with annoyance. He threw a hand up weakly.  _ What do you want from me? _

She grabbed his chin. "You look like you're being all dramatic. You  _ can't _ die, Vegeta. I won't allow it."

He snorted. "Bulma crazy."

"Maybe," she admitted. "Here," she sat up suddenly, gathering leaves and sticks around them into a pile, "I know how to keep you busy. I'm going to show you how to make fire."

He blinked. "Heart Of The Cave, here?"

"You can start a fire almost anywhere as long as you have the right materials," she said. "We need kindling. Cut me some bark from that trunk."

"Trunks?" He asked.

"Yeah, the trunk," she said, suddenly realizing he didn't know the word. She pounded her fist against the tree. "Tree trunk."

He snorted at the silly word, pulling out his knife to scrape it against the wood. Bulma reached into her clothes and pulled out a river rock. He worked some of the dry bark away from the tree as she searched for something on the ground. She made a triumphant sound and brought the two rocks over to him. They were different, the old one broken into small yellow crystals, crusted together. The other was dull as far as he could see, but she was holding them like they were precious.

"Fire rocks," she said. 

He nodded, paying close attention.

"You have to look for them," she said as she took a dried leaf and folded it under her thumb. She pressed it against the larger stone as she knelt over her pile of leaves and bark. He leaned forward, ignoring the pain as he held his breath. He expected her to pray or chant or order the fire to come to life, but none of that happened. Bulma lifted the smaller rock, and started to bring it down sharply against the side of the larger one.

Vegeta gasped, instinctively backing away. Small flames, dozens of them, danced in the air whenever the stones struck each other. She kept going, striking again and again, occasionally rotating the bigger rock. He heard a sizzle and she quickly put the leaf down on the other kindling and bent down to blow on it.

He eased closer, watching the birth of a flame as it started to grow. He held a hand over his heart in reverence, but Bulma seemed all but indifferent to the holy beginning. She smiled at her success as if she had done little more than sharpen a knife. The growing flame illuminated her face, forming a halo of life and shadows across her face, and he began to stare at her instead. His eyes were heavy.

"Goddess," he mumbled, eyes closing again.

"Hmm?" She asked, glancing over to him. She saw him slumped over and he felt her grab his arms, shaking him again. "Vegeta!" She snapped. "Wake up!"

He wasn't fully asleep, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. He didn't have the energy to open his eyes. Eventually her words faded to the background. He was cold. He felt her hands on his face a few times, and once her lips against his. He knew time was slipping away. He slept for short stretches, still not aware enough to speak or think very clearly.

He woke at some point. Still night, he thought. He could hear the fire crackling still, and he was warm enough. He mumbled a moment, unintelligibly, then managed a word.

"Bulma?"

Nothing. No skin on his, no voice he'd grown fond of. Good. Maybe she had gone without him. He couldn't help her anymore. She might make it home.

He felt a movement against his thigh and realized he was not alone. A large nose pressed against his face and sniffed, and if he'd been well enough he would have felt fear. He knew the smell of a wolf this close, even through his haze. It had to be Ohchi, he reasoned, though he wasn't sure why the beast had stayed behind. Ohchi's wet tongue dragged across Vegeta's face and the warrior winced. If the beast was tasting him he wished he'd get on with it and shorten this slow death.

Ohchi did not bite, but Vegeta passed out again before he laid back down. In his dreams, he saw home. Death by a Claw was an end fitting a warrior, but he still felt a twinge of sadness to be dying so far from his ancestors. Would his spirit be able to make its way back to them from this unfamiliar place? Would his troop search for him in the following seasons? They had no obligation to, but he could just hear Nappa giving a speech about 'bringing Vegeta home to rest with his family'. He would miss them. Maybe when the rest died of age they would be allowed to hunt together again in the spirit world.

Ohchi's deep bark woke him, startling him enough that he opened his eyes. His vision swam, and he could not tell what Ohchi was alerting him to. Maybe another Claw had appeared to end them both.

"Here!" A voice he did not recognize called. A being approached him, but he could not make out it's face. It was too tall to be family, and he saw a spear in its hand.  _ Yes _ , he thought,  _ be kind _ . He lifted a closed fist, then whipped it to the side.  _ I ask for a Warrior's death. _

The being did not listen. More of The Others appeared, and he felt hands on his body, lifting him. He was so tired. He fell asleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

Dreams came and went, but pain lessened. Days whizzed by in which he knew only fever and chills. Time was an untenable path, and he gave up trying to walk it in a straight line. Perhaps this was death, just sleep and the inability to rejoin the world. He didn't mind much. This eternity was warm and soft.

Finally, he felt a fur against his cheek. He truly felt it; the silky texture of a bear skin, the weight of his own cheek laying against it. A hand, moving across his wild hair, perhaps trying to smoothe it down but learning it would refuse. The moment was short, but it was his first step back to life.

When he woke again it was from hunger. His stomach ached hollowly, and he grunted as he struggled back to consciousness. The hand was back, wiping a wet cloth over his head. His eyes opened slowly, and her face came into view.

Bulma smiled. "Welcome back."

Vegeta raised a heavy hand and rubbed his eyes. He held a palm up to the ceiling to questioningly, then remembered she would not understand. He forced it into words. "Spirit world?"

She snorted, but couldn't make herself look angry. "Do I look dead to you? I told you I wouldn't let you die."

He yawned, wincing when he tried to sit up. He caught sight of the wolf, laying by his feet. It raised its head, barking softly.

She didn't push him down into the furs, but she shook her head at him. "You're not well enough to get up yet."

He touched his shoulder and felt a deep but healing scar. "Claw."

"It wasn't your shoulder that was the real problem," she said. "It was your back. It was infected." She paused at his confused look. "It, uh, had bad things in it. You're lucky our medicine woman had seen it before. Hungry?"

He nodded and Bulma brought him a cold broth. He pushed it aside and asked for meat.

"It's good for you," she said. "It's got healing properties. Stay conscious and you'll be able to eat real things by tomorrow."

He conceded begrudgingly and sipped at the broth, happy just to fill his belly. She sat him up and he glanced at the surface behind him. Only now he realized they were in an enclosure of some kind, with an entrance made of long skins.

"Bulma cave?" 

"This is my hut," she said, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable. "Listen, Vegeta, there's something you should know."

The cloth entrance moved and a man walked in. He was an Other, thin, a bit sickly, clearly weary with age. Vegeta eyed him nervously, looking for his knife, but Bulma did not seem to be alarmed by his presence.

"Oh, look who's awake!" The man smiled. "Congratulations, My Dear."

Bulma smiled nervously. "Thank you, Father."

The man stepped forward and reached a hand out towards Vegeta. Bulma subtly took his hand and pulled it out to her father who shook it vigorously. "Thank you, Vegeta. I find your demands fair and accept your terms."

Vegeta grunted and frowned at Bulma, who was quickly trying to usher the older man out. "He just woke up, Father, he needs to rest."

"Oh, yes, but I think it's appropriate to have a feast--"

"Yes, sure, he likes to eat," she said, pulling him out of the room.

Vegeta watched after them, narrowing his eyes. Ohchi hopped up, padding up closer to his head and sniffing at his face. Vegeta sat stoically as the beast examined him, a bit less afraid of him than he had been the last time.

Bulma came back alone, snapping her fingers. "Ohchi, heel."

The dog backed away, sitting obediently a few feet away. Bulma came to sit with him, folding her legs and rubbing her temple. "Look… you were dying. I needed help. I left Ohchi to watch after you and I got back home with a torch. But when I got here, the council wouldn't agree to send a party back for you. They said you weren't human, an enemy, not worth wasting time on, so I… lied a bit."

"Lie?" He asked, not knowing the word, or actually even the concept.

She bit her cheek. "I told them how you saved my life, which is true," she defended. "Then I said you took payment by asking to take me as a wife. Do you understand what that means?"

He shook his head.

Bulma sighed. She scooted a bit closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders carefully, knowing how much he seemed to rely on touch. "You and I are  _ family _ now. Get it? Bulma, Vegeta,  _ family _ ."

He already thought she knew that. He nodded, agreeing, and she smirked. She slid her hand over to cup his cheek, looking him in the eyes. "It's not that bad of a lie, is it? The tribe already has a few marriages based on life debts. I think you could be a good husband."

Most of these words were foreign to him, but he shrugged them off. Touch, he understood. He also understood that by all accounts he should be dead, but she had saved him. He leaned forward and laid his face against her neck, an arm tightening around her waist. She hesitated, but then wrapped her arms around him as well.

"You need to rest," she said, face turning a bit red. "It's traditional for new marriages to be given a feast, and my father wants to hold one for us tomorrow. You'll have to be stronger for that."

\---------------

The feast took place at sunset the next night. Vegeta was allowed to sit outside of Bulma's hut for the first time, though he was required to wear thick cloths over his injuries that he did not like. He was quiet, letting Bulma take care of the socializing as he sat marveling at an enormous fire burning in the center of the clearing the tribe called home.

The size of Bulma's tribe was staggering. Even before the harsh winter Vegeta's tribe had been half of this number. It unnerved him to be so close to The Others, but to his surprise they mostly left him alone. They approached Bulma instead, congratulating her on something and occasionally giving her trinkets he did not know the use of. The man Bulma called 'father' sat near them, speaking often, but Vegeta had given up trying to understand his words.

The Others all spoke like Bulma, but they didn't put in the same effort to translate for him. He also had quickly pieced together that here, tribe and family meant different things. The people who approached Bulma smiled and said nice things, but they kept what looked to him to be a ridiculous distance away from her. The only people who she seemed truly close to were himself and 'Father'. Was her group really that small?

Some of them spoke of another man. They said they were happy she had 'found another', and that 'Yamcha would be happy'. Whatever his new role was he realized it had been filled once before, and then left vacant. Bulma didn't look happy when they mentioned him, she simply accepted the words and moved them along. He decided not to ask her what they meant.

When the feast was over Bulma took him back to their hut. He laid out on the pile of furs they slept on, expecting her to demand he take his medicine and sleep more, but she didn't say a word. She hovered over him, careful not to press on his wounds, and surprised him with a kiss.

The sounds of her tribe winding down outside faded, and the night got very quiet. Through the mud and wood that made up the hut he could still smell the crackling life of the enormous fire. He pulled her a bit closer, fine with the slight sting in his wounds if it meant having another against him again.

He missed home.

He missed sleeping among his family, sometimes together for warmth or closeness, knowing they would protect him from anything. He missed others who knew his speech and the way the world worked, things these odd beings appeared to be very ignorant of. He missed his troop most of all. He pictured each of their faces more often now, hoping they were safe and hating that he couldn't help them while he was weakened.

Bulma crawled over him, and then it was harder to think about them. Bulma was his troop now too, he'd decided, so at least he had one of them with him. He switched from a passive observer of her affection to the aggressor. He kissed her harder, stroking the back of her head as he tried to pour the whole of his touch starved self out to her. His tail wrapped delicately around her waist.  _ Don't leave me alone. _

That was when her hand slipped lower and untied his furs, tossing them aside and leaving him naked. She wrapped a hand around his hardening flesh, making him gasp and lean back to watch her. She'd been so reluctant the last time he wanted to fill a physical need, what was different now?

"We'll have to be careful," Bulma whispered. "I know it's our wedding night, but you're still not well."

He pulled her mouth back to his.

\---------------------

He didn't understand their system to measure days, but he knew by the stars that he had been unconscious for almost half a moon cycle. His strength grew slowly, day by day, and Bulma allowed him to come and go as he pleased so long as he came back in time for his medicine. By day he'd wander away from the camp, keeping a wide berth around the other members of Bulma's tribe. They smiled when he approached, but he knew fear when he scented it. They had saved him, likely to repay him for saving one of their number, but they did not trust him. He couldn't stay here, even if he wanted to.

Instead he kept his distance, taking to the trees to test his muscles and sharpen his hunting skills. The majority of the time he spent on the ground in the forest, hovering over rocks he'd taken from baskets in their hut.

Now that he'd seen flame made with his own eyes he had the confirmation he needed that it was not divinely given. This could be learned. It was hard for him still, even on the few occasions when Bulma followed him and tried to help. He'd beat the rocks together again and again, missing enough times that he bloodied his knuckles. The Others moved more gracefully than he seemed to be able to, they could fling their arms far behind them and strike them down with precise accuracy. He didn't care what limits his muscles might have. He was determined.

The wolf Ohchi began to follow him out to the woods. He'd decided the beast at least wouldn't attack unprovoked, and he'd stopped flinching when it came up to him. Bulma had a tendency to absent-mindedly run her hand down the wolf's back, and Vegeta had started to copy her. He had not forgotten his trial. He had decided that when he went back, when he took Bulma to be with his family where they belonged, the wolf would come with them. If he made it back before the hottest days they could still move the family south before the cold set in.

It took another full moon cycle before it happened. He was sitting in a small clearing with a freshly skinned rabbit hanging next to him. He was furiously beating the two rocks together, watching the small flashes dance among his acquired kindling uselessly. Ohchi sat a short ways away, whining softly and scooting closer to his kill. Vegeta grunted at the beast, beating his chest once and tapping his hand to his lips.  _ I eat my kill alone.  _ The wolf backed away from the rabbit obediently, moving to lay down next to Vegeta instead.

Vegeta smirked at him. The animal seemed to understand him better than most of The Others. He was wondering if it could be taught to hunt with him when he smelled the smoke. The leaves under his thumb had caught a flame.

Heart racing, he knelt down and touched the small bundle closer to his kindling, blowing very gently. The smoke grew, and then a weak orange glow appeared below it. He had made a flame. Vegeta laughed victoriously, slapping at his chest and reaching over to vigorously rub the wolf's back. Ohchi got excited without understanding why, barking excitedly to reflect his celebration. He cooked the rabbit on his own fire and tossed a bit more than normal scraps to his friend.

When the sun began to set he gathered his things and hiked back towards Bulma's camp. He passed by a troop of Others carrying back a few large boars, and caught the nervous glance they sent his way. He snorted, gritting his teeth. He was not a beast begging for scraps and he did not enjoy being regarded as one. 

It was dark when he swept wordlessly into Bulma's hut. She was sat inside, working a skin over a rock, and when she saw him she smiled.

"About time," she huffed gently. "Would it kill you to stay in camp during the day? I know you don't want to hunt with the warriors but there's work you could do with weapons or--"

He tapped his chest. "Made flame."

She paused, then nodded. "Good. I know how important it was to you."

He dropped a bit of cooked rabbit by her leg, signing for her to eat.

She sighed, agreeing to eat a bit of the animal. Bulma chose to eat with her tribe at their nightly meal, but Vegeta insisted on bringing her a bit of his own hunt. The way he saw it, she no longer belonged here either. She was part of his family, and they could take care of themselves.

"I'm not going to eat it all," she warned him. "Remember? My father's celebration is tonight."

Vegeta huffed, stretching out to rest and take a swig of water with the white sap they called his 'medicine'.

"You're  _ going _ ," she warned him, shaking her finger at him as she crawled over to lay against him. "I'll drag you out by your tail, Monkey Man."

He smirked, pulling her tightly against him. "Loud woman."

She laid against his shoulder and closed her eyes. They rested a few minutes, but he could feel a tension in her muscles. Finally he curled his tail around her, tapping at her shoulder.

"Nothing's  _ wrong _ ," she said, drumming her fingers on his shoulder. She sat up. "I've got to figure out how to explain something to you, and I'm not sure how to do it."

That piqued his interest. He turned to look at her, and she smiled gently.

Bulma took his hand and set his hand on her abdomen. "Vegeta, I am going to have a baby."

His eyebrows furrowed, remembering what that meant in her language. He folded his arms together. "Child?"

She nodded. "That's right."

His face lit up. "Good." He moved his hand across her belly in a half circle.  _ I wish you luck in creating a strong warrior.  _ The thought occurred to him that she may not understand the gesture. "Bulma child  _ strong _ ."

"Thank you," she said, clearly not done. "Vegeta, I'm not the  _ only _ one having a baby. You are part of this."

He nodded, thinking he understood. "Family strong." He grabbed both his arms and then cradled them again.  _ Protect child _ .

She shook her head slightly, about to speak again, but the cloths at the door of their hut opened. The medicine woman, a short matriarch with a wizened face, gestured them out. The feast was about to begin.

Bulma seemed to give up, and they headed out into the night.

Bulma's father's feast, what she told him was a celebration of his age, was even bigger than their wedding feast had been. She explained that her father's position on the council (what Vegeta had learned was more like a group of elders than a god) warranted more attention. What looked like the entirety of the tribe was out, gathered again around the huge fire.

As they ate a dozen warriors came to stand around the fire, with a dozen more pulling out small canvas covered bowls. Vegeta tapped on Bulma's arm and pointed at them.

"Drums," she said. "For music."

The rhythmic pounding began, and Vegeta liked it very much. The man of honor sat on a seat woven with wicker, above the others, and as the warriors began to move in time to the beat, they aimed the butt-end of their spears towards him.  _ This _ he could understand. Movement, weapons, honoring someone's time spent serving the tribe. He found himself moving his foot with the sound and hoped they would be able to take a 'drum' back with them when they left.

He nudged her again. "Bulma, bring drum?"

"Bring?" She whispered back.

"Bring to cave. Family."

She stared at him. At first he thought it was the language barrier again, but she shook her head. "Vegeta, we don't have to live in a cave. You can stay here with me."

She said it like a kindness, like it was obvious. Cold ice moved through his veins.

Bulma did not want to come home with him. 

His attention on the ceremony was gone. He turned from her, staring at the ground, deep in thought. Stay here?  _ Forever _ ? Never to return to his troop or his life? Before he never would have even considered it. But that was before her.

Bulma hadn't noticed his internal struggle, she was clapping along with the other women. He looked up at The Others, not caring if he made them uncomfortable with his staring. What did she see in this cold group that she liked so much? They didn't even sit close together. Most of them sat in groups of only three or four. He turned his gaze to one group, two adults and a few children...

Deep in Vegeta's brain, a synapse fired. It took him a moment. He knew he was not the same as these beings, that they had ways different from him. Some things he was simply not able to grasp, like the 'numbers' Bulma kept trying to teach him, but a new idea had snapped into his consciousness. 

_ Man and woman make,  _ Bulma had said.

The groups were cut up into man and woman, with children around them. The children stayed only with the man and woman. Did they  _ belong _ to both of them? Did men have as much to do with the origin of children as women did? They did not grow them, but perhaps they helped in their creation?

Sex. She'd said as much. That was what she called the coupling of their bodies, so far in his life a daily activity that he had not connected to children at all. If Bulma was growing a child, that meant the child was created, in part, by him.

He looked at her, mouth dropping open. He wasn't sure what to think about this new revelation. It didn't change his feelings towards the child itself; he had planned to take care of it regardless because it would be part of Bulma. But she didn't want to come home with him. And she'd likely keep the child with her.

He covered his face, letting out an involuntary groan of agony that was lost in the crowd. A knowledge none in his species had ever possessed crashed over him, and it was dizzying. Was this even the first child he'd helped to create? He pictured all of the children running around back at home, including the child that looked like Kakarot. Kakarot spent hours lounging with Chichi, of course they'd had sex. And Kakarot was old. He would die soon, like Vegeta, and never know that the boy looked like him because of his relations to the child's mother.

He'd die soon. Would he even see his child be born?

Bulma's father sat high on his honorary throne. If Bulma was to be believed he had lived  _ twice _ Vegeta's years, and wasn't close to death yet.

He stumbled up, running towards the familiar safety of the woods as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. Bulma watched him go, but did not chase after him. He fell into the tree line, elbows against the ground as he tried to catch his breath. 

He and Bulma were having a child, and he would die long before her. He couldn't help her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're already at the end! Thank you all for reading, I really enjoyed participating in the Vegebulocracy Reversebang!

When he returned to their hut Bulma was already asleep. He tried to be silent as he laid next to her, but she woke anyway, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey. Was the drumming too much?"

He simply shook his head, calmer now, but still shaken.

She kissed his shoulder. "At least you came to the feast. I'm not sleeping well. Feeling a bit sick."

"Baby," he said knowingly, deciding to try her version of their language. "You… and… my… baby."

She beamed at him. "You're getting pretty good at that. And yes. Thank the gods, I didn't think you understood what I was trying to tell you."

He nodded solemnly. 

"So I was thinking," she said, sitting up. "I think the baby should be okay. We  _ can't _ be the first."

"First?"

"The first of our…  _ kinds _ to have children. I know the others see your differences, Vegeta, but look at our similarities. You're no animal, and you never were. You're changing a lot of minds in the tribe you know. People weren't sure your kind could learn or be civilized at all, but you proved it to them. You look like a human man, just a bit shorter and stockier and there's the uh... tail," she blushed. "Our languages are so similar, we must come from the same places, just a long time ago. We must have been marrying for centuries--"

"Bulma," he started, cutting her off. She stopped speaking, watching him string the words together. "You and I… need to go… cave."

She shook her head. "No, really, they like you. We can stay here as long as--"

"Need home," he said, placing his hand back over her middle. "Baby home."

She stared. "You…  _ want _ to go back? Vegeta, we have a life here."

He shook his head. "Bulma life…  _ you _ have life, here. Not… me."

She moved back, frowning. "I'm not leaving, Vegeta. This is where we belong."

"No," he scowled, slapping the ground with his hand. "Must go home."

"Why?"

"Vegeta die soon," he said. "Bulma alone. Baby alone." He rubbed his hand over his heart, then leaned forward to move it over hers.  _ Our family will provide for us. _

She rolled her eyes. "You're not old, Vegeta," she snapped. "We've talked about this. Father is twice your age--"

"Not human!" He shouted, slapping the ground again. She looked startled, and he quickly held his hands up in apology. "Not  _ human _ . You, me, different." He clasped her hand.  _ Trust me.  _ "I die before child is strong."

She still looked angry, but the wetness in her eyes betrayed her. "You can't be sure of that."

"Family give Bulma food. Love baby. I tell them you family, they understand--"

"Well maybe I don't want to live in a dirty cave with a bunch of--!" She stopped catching her words.

He shifted away, face unreadable.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm really sorry. I'm sure your family loves you, and I'm sure they're… I love  _ you _ , Vegeta. It's you I want to spend my life with."

"Can not," he said simply.

She slumped, turning away from him.

Slowly, he reached a hand out to her, setting it on her shoulder. She flinched like it hurt, but he knew better. He scooted closer, pressing his face against her neck and kissing it gently. "Want to. Can not."

She nodded, still not turning to face him.

He knew how she expressed care, even if it seemed odd to him to use only words. "Love you, Bulma."

She broke, turning around to throw her arms around his neck. "And what about when you die, Vegeta?" She asked, face buried against his skin. "I can't raise my baby with strangers. I need to be  _ here _ . Even you have to admit, we have medicine here that your people couldn't even  _ dream _ of. What if the baby is different because he's half human?"

Vegeta frowned. It was true, sometimes women died when bringing their babies to life. Could they have it here and then carry it home? He wasn't even sure he'd live that long. And what about his family? If he didn't return and move them south many more could die in the winter.

"Vegeta must go," he said quietly.

"I know."

\----------

They took three days. They didn't leave their hut, and barred others from coming in. They ate and drank much, he even allowed them to make use of the tribe's offered meals. They loved, knowing that their time was running down. 

One thing he insisted upon was adorning her midriff in symbols he drew, made from red mud. He told her it was a blessing, that he believed the more time the symbols remained unmarred the greater chance the baby had of being strong and living. She promised to redraw them from memory when they faded. 

She was the first to bring up the wolf. "I want you to take Ohchi," she said suddenly after they'd been silent a long time. "We have other dogs here."

He pressed his face against her neck.

"You got your wolf magic," she mumbled. "And he'll keep you safe."

"Bulma safe," he said, as if saying it made it law.

He left early in the morning. The rest of the tribe was still asleep when they walked together to the edge of the river, the place they'd first met. Ohchi followed along happily, chasing after squirrels and other rodents but always coming back to the couple. When they stopped, Vegeta wasn't sure what to say. All of the words she'd gifted him since they met still felt inadequate.

"He died," she said suddenly, breaking the silence. "My first husband, Yamcha. He was older than me, a lot older. He went on a hunt. They said they ran into Monkey Men. Was it you?"

Vegeta took a breath. "Do not know."

She clenched her jaw. "I figured as much. I wouldn't be surprised if you had. He was… he made foolish choices sometimes. I didn't get to pick him. But I have picked you. I'm still your wife," she said, firmly.

He nodded.

"I mean it," she said, poking him in the chest. "We may come visit you one day, when the baby is strong enough to make the journey south. You're my husband. For good. I won't lose another."

He nodded, knowing that by that time he'd be long gone. "Bulma wife, only. Only you."

"What should I name him? Any ideas?"

Vegeta smirked. Naming was a woman's job, he'd never been asked that before. He held his fist up clenching his fist.  _ Sturdy. _

She looked at his hand. "I don't know that one. What does it mean?"

He looked around for the best example, then patted the sturdiest thing near them. A tree trunk.

She smiled. "I like that. Goodbye, Monkey Man."

He kissed her once more. "Goodbye, Bulma."

\-----------------

When they'd made their home, generations ago, Vegeta's ancestors had put as much thought as they could into location and strategy. Their cave was far off the ground, set into the side of a cliff. Dirt had been piled up so that they could walk up to it, but they left it steep enough to slow the approach of enemies. It overlooked a great plain, so vast that any intruder could be seen long before they reached them. 

It was the low light of sunrise, but the sentinel at the front of the cave saw a figure approaching, and something on the ground behind him. Maybe he was carrying a weapon? The light was too faint to be sure. He let out a shout through the cave, a deep holler designed to alert the other warriors that someone was approaching.

His call was heeded instantly. The warriors, eating breakfast deep in the cave, came running to aid him. Among the group, setting down his food, Raditz touched the backs of his two troopmates, then motioned the throwing of a spear. He was bored, and he wanted to see if they could help the younger men.

Nappa and Kakarot agreed wordlessly, following Raditz to the entrance of the cave. Three younger warriors immediately handed the revered members the spears they'd grabbed for themselves, turning back to find more. If the honored men wanted first crack at mounting the defense, they were welcome to it.

Kakarot was best with a spear, and as the three advanced down the massive dirt ramp he took point. He hefted the weapon high, and the two behind him did the same. They would wait, give the intruder a chance to see that the area was defended, then if it did not leave they would let loose their weapons. 

The intruder did not turn away. Kakarot let out a shout of warning, wordless, just meant to intimidate. It was met with an answering holler from the lone wanderer, one that sounded less nervous than they had expected. The other two heard Kakarot let out a gasp. The spear fell from the revered warrior's hand, clattering to the dirt. He let out another holler, almost a scream, and now he was running toward the intruder.

Nappa and Raditz surged forward, not understanding their friend's actions but ready to defend him. Nappa recognized him second, yelling out his name into the morning light.

"Vegeta!"

Kakarot paused only once, eyes wide as he saw the small wolf trotting next to Vegeta's side. Vegeta waved him forward, and Kakarot ran to him, throwing his arms around him. Nappa and Raditz were not far behind, Raditz actually managing to knock the group to the ground in his excitement. Ohchi growled in warning and the three scrambled away, shooting terrified looks at Vegeta.

Vegeta laughed, patting Ohchi on the head. "Ohchi friend. Good wolf."

Nappa grinned. "Vegeta trial."

By now the rest of the warriors could tell that it was one of their own number returned to them, and the call of 'Vegeta' had started down the chambers of the cave. They came running out to greet him, hands grabbing at his body, lips kissing at his face. He felt his face grow hot, and his eyes burned. He was home.

The elders were the last ones out of the cave. They stood high on the ledge, and after the initial excitement of finding Vegeta back,  _ alive _ , a hush fell over the tribe. Paragus and Trules stood together, neither looking particularly happy to see him, and eyeing the creature next to him with clear disdain.

Vegeta strode towards the dirt ramp, his wolf trotting obediently behind him. The tribe parted to give him a path, watching the elders with rapt attention.

Vegeta knelt down to the elders, and Ohchi sniffed at him curiously. "Vegeta trial," he said, loudly enough for all of them to hear. "Bring wolf.  _ Alive _ ."

Paragus mumbled to Turles. Turles grimaced, and Vegeta could feel how desperately they wished to deny him this victory. They had nothing to stand on. He'd done the impossible, a task so ridiculous no warrior should have been able to accomplish it. Still, they hesitated.

Ohchi was very curious why his master was on the ground now. He barked, once, a deep throaty cough to see if Vegeta was trying to play with him.

The tribe gasped and backed away, the men grabbing their spears tighter. Vegeta looked up to address his family. He wiped his hand across his collarbone and shook his head.  _ Do not be afraid _ . "Ohchi not bite." He turned to look at the elders, the hint of a threat in his eyes, but nothing that could be proven. "Ohchi obey Vegeta."

Paragus gritted his teeth. "Vegeta trial. Elder."

The family cheered, many coming up to pat at him. Turles let out a shout and they all backed away.

"Family not go."

Vegeta looked up. "Vegeta Elder. Say go!" He demanded, pointing south.

Paragus shook his head. He pointed to both himself and Turles. Shaking his head.  _ More Elders say no. _

Vegeta growled. After all of this, after an impossible task, they were going to deny his request because of a vote driven by laziness? He hopped to his feet, and they all took a step back. He strode into the cave, and after a moment of indecision they followed.

Vegeta walked up to the Heart of The Cave. He opened a gourd full of fresh water. Then he dumped the entirety of it onto the flame.

There were screams, several of them backing away in fear. Young men grabbed theirs spears nervously, reluctant to hurt one of their own but so used to defending their sacred flames. Nappa, Raditz, and Kakarot jumped between the warriors and Vegeta, ready to defend him despite not understanding his actions. 

They all watched in horror as Vegeta opened the pack he carried on his back. He laid a few logs down on the cave floor, and took out a pile of kindling and his fire rocks. They jumped when he struck them together, whispering among themselves as small sparks danced to life.

It didn't take long. Soon a new fire raged at Vegeta's feet. He stood, looking out over his tribe in silence. Raditz raised the victory shout first, and the others followed after him. The Heart of The Cave was no longer a chain, keeping them here. They had become owners of their flame, not the other way around. 

"Elder Vegeta!" Nappa called, bowing.

The others followed, and Ohchi came trotting up to sit next to him. He smirked at the other Elders, and saw the defeat in their faces. With control of flame, he outranked them both.

The family would move south. They would survive.

For as long as they could.


End file.
